This Week's Leaders

Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.

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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.

Cost of living ?s: relocating from SF bay area to (northern) Chicago suburbs

Hubby and I are considering moving out of the bay area and accepting a job in a town ~30 mins north of Chicago. We're concerned we won't make enough to have the life that we want as we expand our family from 3 to 4 (both kids under age 4). Any thoughts on what a couple might need to make living in a 4BR/2BA single family house with 2 kids in daycare in the libertyville/grayslake/round lake beach area?

Re: Cost of living ?s: relocating from SF bay area to (northern) Chicago suburbs

If you are use to bay area cost of living, you should be able to transition to the Chicago burbs easily without a drastic change in lifestyle. You will probably feel your $ will go further depending on how far away from the city you live.

True Sonido...I suppose one key point I failed to mention is that my potential employer will likely offer me ~30% LESS than what I am making in the bay area. While I was hopeful they could match my salary, I did expect to be under cut a bit but not that much. The # the recruiter threw out to me was $35K less than I currently bring home..thus my worry.

I've heard from colleagues that worked there previously that the difference in pay for them was more like 80% of their CA salary not 70%. However, those colleagues are on a different payscale in a different job family that I am.

If together my partner and I can bring home $130K, would that be enough to live well with two young kids in the libertyville/grayslake/round lake beach area?

We will likely rent before we buy just to get the lay of the land before we throw down for a house.

Any other bits of wisdom you Chicago nesties have would be most helpful as we consider the favorability of this move.